An elderly widower publishes an ad in which he seeks a friend to go fishing together: he doesn't want to be alone
The third age can be a very difficult period in life to deal with; ailments and illnesses make themselves felt more and more, many of our friends and acquaintances have left us forever, and our children and grandchildren move away from us to form new families. A situation of abandonment and profound loneliness that many elderly people live with and have experienced, waiting for a kind and big-hearted person to come forward and make them feel less alone and more loved ...
via BBC News
This is the touching story of Ray Johnstone, a 75-year-old senior living in Australia who became a widower in 2017 and in the meantime was left even more alone after his best friend, the one he often went fishing with, passed away. To feel the pangs of loneliness less, Ray decided to publish an ad where he was looking for a new companion to go fishing with:
"My name is Ray Johnstone. I am a retired widower looking for a fishing buddy. My previous fishing buddy is now deceased. If you are interested, please contact me at my email or phone to arrange a meeting to see if we can get along with each other!"
And in the end, he truly found a new companion to go fishing with! A 22-year-old boy named Mati Matsinilas from Queensland responded to his announcement; the two chatted for a while to get to know each other better and understood that they would get along immediately. In the following days, they met and went fishing together: now Ray won't be so alone anymore!
The meeting with the young Mati kicked off a charity and solidarity project called "Old Mate Campaign", an initiative to encourage younger people to spend time with older people in need of company: "If you don't have a older friend, then we can try to connect you with senior care providers. Once you have signed up, we have around 70 fun and engaging activities for you to do together with your new old friend, regardless of where you live, distance or your budget. "
Fortunately, Ray and Mati have now become inseparable fishing companions: despite the age difference, the elderly widower no longer feels so alone as he once did!
